This is a very strange, West German vampire sex comedy that mercilessly spoofs the kind of Gothic horror films that Hammer had been churning out during the previous decade. When you see the name of Freddie Francis as director, you immediately expect a great film, as this was the guy who shot the best of Hammer's output, as well as acting as cinematographer in many a Hollywood classic. Yet THE VAMPIRE HAPPENING must be the oddest film of the guy's career, and there's no trace of his presence in this anything-goes piece of trash that has dated extremely badly.
Of course, the 1970s was a hit-and-miss period for the comedy horror spoof. For every YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN there was a HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN. This one seems to use the Polanski hit THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS as a template, but it doesn't work very well. The plot is laboured and overlong and the comedy...well, it just isn't funny, unless you're in a VERY forgiving mood. Generally, the jokes come from the odd characters: the randy monk who sees sexual imagery in the trees in the woods; the vampire hunter butler, forever getting the wrong end of the stick; the stud teacher, busy bedding baronesses and vampiresses; the abbot, who spies on naked schoolgirls from his window. And of course, this is a sex comedy as well, so there's a topless woman every few seconds, as well as lots of saucy shenanigans and bedroom antics. There's nothing sleazy or exploitative here, this is the same kind of 'seaside postcard' smut that you'll find in the CONFESSIONS OF A WINDOW CLEANER type films from the same period. It actually brings back some nostalgia.
On the plus side, it's a very nice film to look at. Pia Degermark, a Swedish starlet, plays both the heroine and the vampire and she's very appealing in the dual role; Francis knows that he has a top leading lady on his hands and he really does make the best of her. She's stunning. Thomas Hunter was a muscly American star of the period and he performs well here, but my favourite actor is the unknown guy who plays the bumbling, elderly butler. He's the driving force of the film, really, and his humorous scenes aren't as embarrassing as some. Ferdy Mayne, who was in the Polanski film, pops up at the end playing Count Dracula, complete with cheeky in-joke ("Call me Christopher"). So, for the year it was made and the type of film it is, this isn't bottom of the barrel, but it's too confusing, choppy, and ultimately silly to be worth watching more than once.
Of course, the 1970s was a hit-and-miss period for the comedy horror spoof. For every YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN there was a HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN. This one seems to use the Polanski hit THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS as a template, but it doesn't work very well. The plot is laboured and overlong and the comedy...well, it just isn't funny, unless you're in a VERY forgiving mood. Generally, the jokes come from the odd characters: the randy monk who sees sexual imagery in the trees in the woods; the vampire hunter butler, forever getting the wrong end of the stick; the stud teacher, busy bedding baronesses and vampiresses; the abbot, who spies on naked schoolgirls from his window. And of course, this is a sex comedy as well, so there's a topless woman every few seconds, as well as lots of saucy shenanigans and bedroom antics. There's nothing sleazy or exploitative here, this is the same kind of 'seaside postcard' smut that you'll find in the CONFESSIONS OF A WINDOW CLEANER type films from the same period. It actually brings back some nostalgia.
On the plus side, it's a very nice film to look at. Pia Degermark, a Swedish starlet, plays both the heroine and the vampire and she's very appealing in the dual role; Francis knows that he has a top leading lady on his hands and he really does make the best of her. She's stunning. Thomas Hunter was a muscly American star of the period and he performs well here, but my favourite actor is the unknown guy who plays the bumbling, elderly butler. He's the driving force of the film, really, and his humorous scenes aren't as embarrassing as some. Ferdy Mayne, who was in the Polanski film, pops up at the end playing Count Dracula, complete with cheeky in-joke ("Call me Christopher"). So, for the year it was made and the type of film it is, this isn't bottom of the barrel, but it's too confusing, choppy, and ultimately silly to be worth watching more than once.